Categories:

Via GforGames, the Commercial Times is reporting that the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 (the larger brother of the expected ~4.7 inch model) is currently facing delays due to yield issues with special battery components.

According to the report, Apple wants the 5.5 inch device to be incredibly thin requiring battery cells that are only 2mm in depth. Normal battery components are usually closer to 3mm.

Battery manufacturers are struggling to meet Apple’s requirements and this is apparently causing delays. The report speculates that the 5.5 inch iPhone may not be on sale until early 2015, because of these issues.

The 2015 timeframe should not be treated as fact, however. Timelines are very fluid and the report says that Apple will launch the device as soon as suppliers can produce good yields of the necessary components. Even if the 5.5 inch device goes on sale later than its 4.7 inch brother, it seems likely that Apple would announce the two phones at the same event.

I do. They wouldn’t sacrifice battery for thinness. It turns out Apple has incredibly intelligent people working for them. Their engineers know exactly what they are doing, and they have a set battery life they think is where it should stay around (given the current tech). With this in mind, they can continue to make the devices thinner and lighter (absolutely a good thing), whilst keeping the battery life approximately the same as it has been. I have an iPod Touch 5th generation, and it is incredibly thin and light, much more so than the iPhone 5S. I can say with 100% sincerity that it is absolutely amazing, and it was incredible when I first held it, I couldn’t believe how light and sturdy it felt. I absolutely want the iPhone to continue to become thinner and lighter like the iPod Touch.

The fact is, they’ve done an incredible amount of research regarding batteries, battery life, average usage, etc., and they settled on a point they think is sufficient given the current battery technology. Most people have no problem using their iPhone all day (all day being from the time you awake to the time you go to sleep and plug it in to charge). If you want to conserve battery power, wait until you get on your Mac to watch porn.

Are you crazy!?!?
I would rather have it 1mm thicker and double the battery life!
A smartphone should at least give us a whole week on standby time and at least a whole 24hours on usage.
I also don’t get what is so “magical” about being the thinnest, you can only get as thin as it is practical.
Its magically stupid to say the least!

You’re right Andre I hate when I stay up 24 hours and my phone can’t be used the entire time, it’s almost like they think most people go to sleep for 7-8 hours a day…like really? Really, people sleep and don’t need their phone to last 24 hours?? What in the hell??

I agree. If this report is actually true, then 1mm is nothing, and extra battery life is nice. Heck, add 2 mm and triple the battery life, then brag about that. It’s reassuring to know you can go out of town for one night at least in someone else’s car and not always have to panic over where your charger is, especially since the phone doesn’t use micro usb or some other common plug. Also, many people want a bigger screen more than they do a phone so thin it can double as a knife, even if it is a neat gimmick which makes it hard to hold without dropping and likely somewhat fragile. Wait! What!
Apple always wants to decide for everyone what we want, and this is a mistake which causes me to feel disrespected and unappreciated. I have apple products except the phone, and i MAY buy one when a bigger version comes out. It should have come out before everyone else made one since CLEARLY many people want it, and it’s just plane embarrassing that Apple is last to come to this party when it brags about being innovative. Just make it 1 or even 2mm thicker, and get it out finally! This is really EMBARRASSING! It’s literally bizarre they brag about being innovative, almost like they never leave the cocoon under the new spaceship which no one new was already there or some other weird place with no windows.
As for those insulting others for their opinion. Seriously, are you still in diapers!

I’ll be a little pissed if I bought the 4.7″ and then they come out with a 5.5″ few months later without saying they would. That’s almost bad as Shamesung releasing S4 then announcing& releasing Note3 then announce & release S5, 3 TOP tier phones came out in 1 year, you couldn’t enjoy your phone knowing a new better phone already out, I’m just saying

Too bad you don’t have much use for MacRumors, I’ve found it to be a pretty good site. We are all very happy that you like the size of your phone, we have a wealth of different sizes around here. I have an iphone but we even have an XPeria Z Ultra (6.3 inches) in the house. I suggest you open your mind a little bit and realize that the form factor that you have chosen is not the most ideal for everyone. Let me remind you that the iPad was the ‘ONLY’ usable size according to Steve Jobs, but the mini has proven that given the choice many would choose an different form factor, different people have different use cases.

Below you suggested that a small percentage of phones are bigger than the iPhone, I’m sure we would all like to see that data, do you have it handy? I have seen nothing to corroborate that, in fact quite the opposite.

Perhaps come September when you hold the phone you may find you like it more than you thought you would, and even if you don’t, remember, that’s just your case and you are just one individual.

>>Let me remind you that the iPad was the ‘ONLY’ usable size according to Steve Jobs,

Let me remind you that you don’t have a clue what he said, nor are you understanding what I’m saying.

>Below you suggested that a small percentage of phones are bigger than the iPhone, I’m sure we would all like to see that data, do you have it handy?

You’re right! Apologies. The percentage of phones sold above 4” is not 10%, it’s 30%. However, taking into account that ALL of Android’s models only account for ~40% of the used phones in existence, the use share of large phones is… niche.

There is quite a large number of people on the iPhone, but if these sample sizes can be extrapolated from, one can say that there is a large number who like the product, os, etc, but want a bigger size. It will be interesting to see how these larger phones are adopted with Apples biggest market wanting a change. Time will tell.

I am afraid I will have to discard your 30 percent as bunk without any source, I too can pull numbers out of a hat, but that is not constructive.

And yes, I do understand what you are saying. Perhaps it may help you to understand why you get such negative responses if you understood what you sound like. From this side of the conversation it sounds like you are saying the only thing that matters is your choice, and others choices are invalid. Perhaps that is how you wanted to sound? I hope not.

Doesn’t Apple get that only they (and maybe just maybe a select few others) care about thinness? We don’t care about how thin it is, just give us longer lasting batteries and devices… I’m sure 90% of all people would sacrifice a few mm or .mm if it meant the device would last twice as long on a charge…

Absolutely not. You have absolutely no credible data to back up your claim, and no, I’m sorry, but no amount of comments you will ever read about people complaining about thinness will ever give you an accurate idea of what consumers want. Secondly, well I’m not going to type it again, so just read my previous comment in here.

Hear, hear!!
Do people know how small a bloody MILLIMETER is?!?
It’s a ONE THOUSANDTH of a meter, that’s how small it is.
Imagine something around 3 feet long.
Now cut it into A THOUSAND pieces.
THAT’S a millimetef!
Now imagine just adding TWO of those pieces in “thickness”
to the casing of an Apple iPhone smartphone.
Practically negligible, right?
You don’t even, practically speaking, physically percieve it.
Wouldn’t you like to have that done in exchange for
2 or even 3 times, maybe, the battery life usage?
Of course you would.

First of all, it’s about thickness and weight. The 5th gen iPod touch is far thinner and weighs far less, of course an iPhone will weigh more due to added components, but the iPod feels so much better in every way, except prestige, simply because it isn’t an iPhone.

If you think you would get 2 or 3 times the battery life then I really don’t know what to tell you, other than nice fiction. You, along with every other person that has complained about thinness taking precedence over increased battery life, knows literally nothing about batteries, what the current technology allows, and what Apple is considering, or what would be possible to add in battery life from increased thickness. Ever consider that it may not be thickness that will get you much more battery life…maybe it’s surface area? For example the iPad have considerably more volume to increase the surface area of the battery.

Look, Mr. Smartypants ….
I don’t know anything about no fancy book learnin’.
I got my edumacation in the STREETS!
And this guy, Chaco from the bodega, he told me: slighly thickerer=substantially longer battery life.
Now, chew on that for awhile, there, bub!

The streets? Lol, that’s funny. I detect a whee bit of sarcasm there :). It is true that apple is very careful with thickness and weight. Let me ask you this, if you held a iPad 4th Gen and and iPad Air in each hand, which would you prefer? I have each, one is mine, and one is my wifes, and the air gets the same life as the 4th gen which is roughly 150 percent of the weight of the air. Only Apple knows the specs of the new phone, the usage of the battery from the chip, screen, etc. Let’s just weight and see (see what I did there?). Kinda bummed if they don’t come out together, will be waiting until both appear to get my next phone so I can compare.

Whoa, whoa, whoa ….
Slow down, there, cowpoke!
The iPad 4 in 150% of the weight of an iPad Air?!?
That’s an 8 OUNCE difference you’re talking about!
The weight that’d be put onto an iPhablet just by adding
a millimeter or two in “thickness” would be measured in GRAMS.
28 of which are in an ounce.

You know how much A GRAM weighs?
A dollar bill is a gram, THAT’S how much it weighs!
You’re telling me that by adding on the “weight” of a few dollar bills you’d get substantially increased battery life isn’t
a “tradeoff” you’d be willing to make?

Lol, me thinks we need to teach you some google-fu. Check this out, iPad 4th Generation: 1.44 pounds (652 g), source http://support.apple.com/kb/sp662. iPad Air: 469 g (1 pound), source https://www.apple.com/ca/ipad-air/specs/. The weight difference is roughly (as I said) 150 percent (incidentally the difference is 6.45514 ounces :) ). The amount may seem insignificant, but holding the two side by side it is very, very noticeable. If you don’t have two handy then next time you are near an apple store do the test, they are selling both models currently.

Soo… putting all that together with both having the same battery life I would take my wifes Air over my 4th any day. I do trust that these fine folks know what they are doing, I’ve been quite pleased so far. Looking forward to seeing what is coming out next.

I absolutely agree with you! I simply don’t get the people that wouldn’t want to trade off 1-2mm for SUBSTANTIAL battery life improvements.
And some of these guys have the audacity to compare an iPod to an iPhone!??! They’re totally different products.
Its not about getting the SAME amount of battery time in each new iteration of an iDevice, its about getting BETTER battery life! Especially since now Apple all of a sudden has gone so “green” with their environmental stuff, you’d think they’d want their devices to charge less and save electricity.

I put my iPhone in a cover anyway, so adding 1-2mm thickness is a welcome addition. It’d just go back to being an iPhone 4/4S thickness and thats pretty ok with me.

I can both agree and disagree with you Andre, agree that a bit of extra thickness wouldn’t necessarily bother me in concept, but I would have said the same about the Air vs 4th Gen (just the most recent and best example), before the air came out I would have said I didn’t care about miniscule amounts of weight, 400g, who cares, now that I see the difference and can hold it in my hands and appreciate it my opinion has changed.

So I can agree in concept that the size doesn’t seem too big of a deal, but that can easily change when the device materializes.

I do have to say that your point about charging a smaller battery vs a bigger battery doesn’t make much sense. It’s the same amount of energy either way, even if you are plugging the device in the wall more it’s still the same amount of energy. I wouldn’t mind not charging every day, but my phone (5s) lasts a day each day with a good amount of use, happy with it.

Again, more life is good, wouldn’t complain, just can’t find a reason to get too excited until the thing materializes.

lovetogetcrap thanks for your inputs. Yes, sorry, my mistake – a bigger battery would require more energy to charge.
The iPad 4th vs. Air is probably also a little unfair. Because the 4th was heavier/thicker than the 2nd/3rd (as far as I remember)
I have my 4th (don’t have an Air) in both a plastic all surround cover and then that inside a leather hardback cover (so I can drop it without problems) so my iPad is definitely much heavier than a ‘naked’ 4th gen.
Then again, I just use my iPad by my bedside for watching stupid creationists vs. evolutionists debates on YouTube to fall asleep to. I use my iMac for everything else and my iPhone when I’m out in the field.
So for me (and I probably don’t make for a big statistic) adding both weight and thickness would be the same for me, as I don’t carry my iPad at all.

However, for an iPhone, to carry 50grams more or less makes absolutely no difference. You’re comparing 400grams from 4th to Air of an iPad. Its not the same thing as a little phone that gained some weight. :)

I can again agree, I use a twelvessouth wallet case for my phone so thickness is not as much of a big deal for me, but again reserve judgement until the thing is in my hand. I think the 4th Gen vs Air comparison is completely fair, my 4th Gen is in a leather wrap around, and my wife’s air is in the same type of case, both leather. Also making it a fair comparison is that the Air is the direct descendent of the 4th gen. Before the Air I didn’t have an issue with the 4th, but my wife was noticing the weight (nothing like my Surface Pro, ugh, that thing is a brick).

But yes, back to the phones, because like you I don’t carry my iPad at all unless it’s in my macbooks bag. The added weight could or could not make a big difference, especially as the phone gets bigger, Thinner and lighter could make a 5.5 much more comfortable to hold in one hand for reading, etc, so I maintain, wait until we can physically hold it :). I won’t be buying either until I can hold both in my hands and properly evaluate either. I think apple would see a major hit to their sales if they delay the second phone for just that reason (others waiting to see), hope that does not happen.

Weird, an intelligent conversation in the message boards, didn’t think that was possible…

lovetogetcrap, yeah I also hope Apple won’t delay the release of the iPhone 5.5″ version. If for some reason they only announce the 4.7″, then I’ll hold off a few months before buying it to make sure I get the 5.5″. But seriously, I don’t think Apple would do such a thing. They’d be able to work out that would piss customers off.
All in all, I think its about time Apple released a phone thats a “normal” size like other smart phones and it amazes me that they haven’t done this already. One handed use? Thats just ridiculous. If you make a larger phone, you can always put the icons in easy to reach places for one-handed operation.

This will be Apple’s biggest & fastest selling iPhone yet!
And why do I say that?
Because at 5 1/2 inches, that’s a phablet, my friends.
A true Apple mini, pocket computer that isn’t TOO small.
Big enough to be free & open & comfortable with
yet still small enough to be generously spaciously pocketable.
And because of that, it makes even ME wanna buy one
and I’ve NEVER thought about buying a smartphone before.
I’ll wager there’s a ton of other people out there who think the same way.
THAT’S why this will be Apple’s most successful phone ever!

Agree with you on many points, but you can agree that you would preferentially take a bigger screen size assuming the physical device size remains the same, right? Assuming they significantly reduced the side bezels, and took the top and bottom bezels to the absolutely minimum, keeping Touch ID and symmetry. That is my idea of a great iPhone 6, 4.7″ display with very little increase in physical device size.

Hmm… “preferentially take a bigger screen size”… I’ve never really thought in those terms. Nor does the device size mean much to me. All I’ve ever cared about is that the ENTIRE UI and ALL its features remain usable with a single hand.

If that remains, I’d be fine with just about any screen size. I know that the screen CAN be made larger than it is now while retaining this. The amount by which it can be increased is, however, up for debate, and dependent almost entirely on the thickness of the device. Bezels are nearly meaningless here.